Fuel distributor for diesel fuel pumps



Feb. .7, 1950 F. L. BARTRAM 2,496,768

FUEL DISTRIBUTOR FOR DIESEL FUEL PUIIPS Filed March 17, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [4 Z O 1 s f as m V 2 f A a O INVENTOR.

- FLOYD LESTER BARTRAM BY ual and. Attorneys Patented Feb. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT} OFFICE 2,496,768 I FUEL ms'rnmu'ron Fon mesa-L mm.

PUMPS Floyd Lester Bartram, El Monte, Calif. Application March 11, 1941, Serial no. 135.211

3 Claims. (Cl. 123-138) fuel as it is distributed to the injectors of the.

various cylinders of the engine. A fuel pump forces the fuel into one side of the .distributor cap and a port conducts the fuel thus supplied to the bottom or under face of the cap. A distributor disc bears against the under face of the distributor cap and has suitable ports and passages that are so arranged that fuel will be successively conducted from the fuel pump through the distributor cap and through the disc to a I metering cylinder which meters the amount of fuel that is supplied to the cylinders of the engine. The capacity of the metering cylinder governs the amount of fuel that is supplied to each of the cylinders of the engine and throttling of the engine is accomplished by varying the capacity of the metering cylinder. The distributor disc which rotates against the under side of the distributor cap also provides passages that will consecutively conduct the fuel from the metering cylinder as the tachometer shaft rotates to the tubings leading to the various cylinders of the engine.

An objection to the present construction on the Cummins engine resides in the fact that the ports on the under sides of the distributor cap a and on the upper side of the distributor disc that are adapted to move into and out of registration as the tachometer shaft rotates are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the length of .the tachometer. shaft. The pressure at which the fuel is supplied by the fuel pump to the distributor becomes thus effective to attempt to separate or space the distributor disc from the distributor cap. To counteract this tendency to separate the distributor disc from the distributor cap a very heavy coil compression spring is seated around the tachometer shaft to'press the distributor disc upwardly against the under side of the distributor cap with great force, that is, a force equal to and greater than the force exerted by the presz exerted by the pressure of the fuel, an adequate means must be provided to lubricate the surfaces between the distributor disc and the distributor cap.

Heretofore this lubrication has been aflorded by using a heavy lubricant that was heavy enough to possess adequate lubricating properties so that as the fuel was fed from the distributor cap to the distributor disc, and vice versa, the-mutually engaging surfaces of these parts would be adequately lubricated thereby. However, when a fuel is used that is heavy enough to supply this necessary lubrication the engine delivered a smoky exhaust which is not only objectionable but illegal in various territories. If a lighter fuel should be employed in order to eliminate the smoke exhaust of the engine, this lighter fuel would not possess sumcient lubricating properties to lubricate the surfaces between the distributor disc and the distributor cap and if these surfaces are not adequately lubricated the distributor disc will quickly score or otherwise become abraded, resulting in a leaky distributor.

Itis a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved distributor of this character which is so designed that a light'fuel may be employed to eliminate the objectionable smoke exhaust and wherein the parts do not require the use of a heavy fuel to keep them adequately lubricated.

Another object of the invention is to provide 1 an improved fuel distributor for Diesel engines of the Cummins type which is so designed that removal and substitution of a relatively few parts of the conventionalCummins engine can be easily and quickly effected to make a conversion enabling the use of a lighter fuel that will eliminate the smoky exhaust.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through that portion of a Cummins Diesel engine that operates the fueldistributor thereof, and illustrating the parts embodying the present invention as having been applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a. partial view on an enlarged scale of the arts embodying the present invention;

. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially upon the line -3--3 upon Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken substantially upon the line H upon Fig. 2.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the conventional Cummins Diesel engine has a cam shaft generally indicated at It driven at one-half the speed of the crank shaft. A tachometer shaft I I extends at right angles thereto and is driven thereby through miter gears l2. This tachometer shaft normally has a cable, not shown, that leads to a tachometer connected to its upper end such as by threads I3. n the tachometer shaft II there is a collar it 50 mounted as to be rotatable therewith. This collar has three upstanding pins indicated at I5 which in the conventional construction enter corresponding holes in a distributor disc that surrounds the shaft II and which is urged upwardly into engagement with the under side of a distributor cap by means of a heavy compression spring, the lower end of which is seated on the spring seat IS on the collar.

-The fuel pump is indicated generally at H and supplies the fuel such as by a tubing it to a distributor cap that is mounted on top of the housing 29. As above explained, in the conventional construction the distributor disc is urged in an axial direction upwardly around the tachometer shaft by the compression spring that is seated on the spring seat It and the upward force exerted by the compression spring is sufficiently great to overcome the pressure of the fuel supplied through tubing It to the ports on the under side of the distributor cap. In accordance with the present invention the conventional distributor cap that is secured to the housing i9 is removed and discarded and the conventional distributor disc is likewise removed and discarded. I substitute for the distributor cap a distributor cap which has an axial bore 2| therethrough to accommodate the upper end of the shaft I! and a surrounding sleeve 22. This cap has outlet ports 23 circumferentially distributed thereon and provided with fittings for conmotion of tubings 24 thereto which lead to the various cylinders. As the engine normally has \six cylinders, 'six outlet ports 23 are illustrated as being formed in the cap 28 as shown in Fig. 3. These outlet ports terminate at their inner ends on the walls of the bore 2| opposite the upper portion of the sleeve 22. The tubing i8 is connected to the base 25 of the cap and may conduct some of the fuel to the passage 26 in the housing that leads to a bushing 21 surrounding the shaft II for lubricating purposes. In the base 25 there is a passage 28 that leads inwardly and up through the body of the distributor cap terminating on the bore 2| opposite the lower portion of the sleeve 22. A similar passage 29 leads from approximately the center of the bore 2| through the distributor cap and its base 25 to a passage 30 in the walls of the housing I9 to'the metering cylinder 3|.

The sleeve 22 has on the exterior thereof a central circumferential groove 32 which is disposed opposite the end of the passage 29 so that as the sleeve is rotated by means of the shaft l this groove will be constantly open or in communication with the passage 29. Longitudinal or vertical grooves 33 are formed on the exterior of the sleeve and extend downwardly from the groove 32 to a point below the end of the passage 29. These grooves 33 are circumferentially spaced around the sleeve and if there are six cylinders in the engine there are six grooves 33. A single groove 34 extends upwardly from the circumferential groove 32 to a point above the horizontal level of the various outlet ports 23. During rotation of the tachometer shaft II this groove is adapted to consecutively register with the inner terminals of the outlet ports. The arrangement of the ports 23 with relation to the inner ends of the passages 28 and 29 as shown in Fig. 3, is such that when the groove 3 is in registration with one of the outlet ports 23, none of the grooves 33 will be in registration with the inner terminal of passage 28. Conversely, when one of the grooves 33 is in registration with the terminal of the inlet passage 28 from the pump Il', groove 34 will not be in registration with'any of the outlet ports. In this manner. as the sleeve 22 rotates, fuel from the pump I7 can flow from passage 28 through a groove 33 into groove 32 and from groove 32 through passage 29 to the metering cylinder 3|. At times when one of the grooves 33 is in registration with the inner terminal of the passage28 as the shaft continues to rotate, egress from the inlet port 28 is cut off and shortly thereafter groove 3d comes into registration with one of the outlet ports 23. When this occurs fuel may flow from the metering cylinder 3| through the passage 29, the circumferential groove 32, and the groove 34 to that outlet port 23 with which groove 35 registers.

As a means for rotating the sleeve 22 by means of the tachometer shaft II I provide a collar 35 having apertures therein which receive the upper ends of the pins l5. This collar has a central hub 36 on which a diametrical key or feather 31 is formed. This key or feather fits in a complementary groove on a flange 38 formed on the bottom of the sleeve 22. Preferably the feather 31 and its groove are so arranged as to be in direct vertical alignment with the groove 3 so that it forms some indication of the position of the groove 34 and consequently of the timing of the fuel supply to the cylinders. A small compression spring 39 is provided which is slipped onto the tachometer shaft Ii to occupy the position between the collar It and the collar 35 to urge the collar 35 into its uppermost position wherein the flange 38 is pressed gently against the under side of the distributor cap base 25. The distributor cap base is secured to the housing I9 such as by cap screws 40, and the distributor cap base and the body of the distributor cap are secured together such as by screws or bolts Al. The volume of the metering cylinder 3| is varied or adjusted by having the stroke of its piston 42 varied by means of the connector 43 and the reciprocator M in the conventional manner.

From the above described construction it will be appreciated that a conversion of the conventional Cummins Diesel engine can be easily accomplished in that it is merely necessary to remove the conventional distributor cap from the hbusing I9 and remove the distributor disc that is urged upwardly against its under side. These parts, together with the heavy compression spring that was previously seated on the shoulder I5, are discarded and in lieu thereof the small compression spring 39 is slipped onto the tachometer shaft I I and the collar 35 applied to the shaft so as to receive the upper ends of the pins I5 enabling it to be rotated by the shaft. The distributor cap embodying the present invention is then applied with its contained sleeve 22. The passages 28 and 29 register with the passages 26 and 30 in the housing I9 and on connection of the tubing I8 to the cap and the connection of the tachometer cable, the conversion is completed. By reason of the fact that the pressure generated by the pump [1 is applied in a radial direction on the distributing sleeve 22 and is largely balanced, the moving parts of the distributor are not under high rubbing or sliding pressure. Consequently the lighter fuel, which does not possess such high lubricating properties or which does not contain any large percentage of lubricating oil, may be employed without danger of parts running dry or scoring. The ability to use a light fuel will enable a smokeless exhaust.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fuel distributor for Diesel engines comprising a distributor cap having an axial bore therethrough and outlets terminating on walls of said bore adapted to be connected to cylinders of the engine, a sleeve rotatable in said bore. an inlet from a fuel pump terminating on said bore, a passage in the cap adapted to be connected to a metering cylinder, there being aseries of circumferentially spaced longitudinal grooves on the sleeve arranged to sequentially is the inlet from the fuel pump and a single circumferential groove on the sleeve with which said grooves comtherethrough, there being fuel outlets for the cylinders of the engine terminating on walls of said bore, a sleeve rotatable in said bore, there being an inlet from a fuel pump terminating on said bore below the mentioned outlets, there being a passage in said cap adapted to be connected to a metering cylinder between said outlets and said inlet, said sleeve having a single circumferential groove opposite said passage to the metering cylinder, there being a plurality of grooves extending downwardly from said circumferential groove to register in sequence with the inlet and a single groove extending upwardly from said circumferential groove to consecutively register with all of the fuel outlets.

3. A fuel distributor for Diesel engines comprising a distributor cap having an axial bore therethrough, there being fuel outlets for the cylinders of the engine terminating on walls of said bore, a-sleeve rotatable in said bore, there being an inlet from a fuel pump terminating on said bore below the mentioned outlets, there being a passage in said cap adapted to be connected to a metering cylinder between said outlets and said inlet, said sleeve having a single circumferential groove opposite said passage to the metering cylinder, there being a plurality of grooves exr tending downwardly from said circumferential groove to register in sequence with the inlet and a single groove extending upwardly from said circumferential groove to consecutively register with all of the fuel outlets, and means for driving said sleeve by a shaft extending therethrough.

FLOYD LESTER BARTRAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in-the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,292,981 Weiss Jan. 28, 1919 2,001,126 Cummins May 14, 1935 2,110,4Q5 starr- Mar. 8, 1938 

